Up Where They Walk, Up Where They Run: Going the Distance with Disney & My Dissertation (comments welcome!)

[lookingforsunshine]

which means I need to run at 7 am on Monday and Wednesday. If I don’t do it, shame me.

Monday’s run done by 8:30 am! No shaming for today.

 

[Herding_Cats]

I always feel like people who get worked up about people running marathons, that they would never expect to be doing so, forget that some people want to do a marathon simply to complete it. And that it's perfectly acceptable to do so. And that the only "have tos" for it are to have appropriately prepared your body so you are unlikely to get injured. I've quit mid-episode on a few podcasts (and stopped listening to them altogether) when they go down that road.

 

[GollyGadget]

The store experience was not great. The salesperson was kind, and I’m sure well-meaning, but I hate when runners ask me what I’m training for. As a larger woman I always get either a weird reaction of disbelief when I say the marathon or like a condescending response. In this case, the guy was asking me a lot of questions about my training and told me I “had to” run at least 20 miles before the race. I was just like yeah yeah and tried to move on.

I'm sorry to hear this. I've had good and bad store experiences. Fortunately I've never been openly judged, but I did have a salesperson totally disregard my opinions about how I like my shoes to feel/fit. That was super annoying and I may or may not have left a negative survey response .

I pretty much always have a negative experience when I buy fabric. I think they're trying to be nice but I always feel self-conscious when they ask what I'm making. Maybe it's just our own self doubt assuming they are judging us?

 

[lookingforsunshine]

Week 10 MW Training
MW Training Runs Completed: 44/49 (90%)
153 total training miles

September: 41.8 miles (10 h 25 m)
October: 71.3 miles (17 h 33 m)
November: 39.9 miles (9 h 41 m)

Monday 11/7
Steps: 11,422
Sleep: 7 h 43 m

Planned: 3.5 miles easy/LR, 55:43, 75:30 intervals, 15:55 pace
Completed: 3.5 miles easy, 51:11, 75:30 intervals, 14:38 pace (T+D 90)

Mile 1: 14:59
Mile 2: 14:07
Mile 3: 14:54
Mile 4: 14:23

I got up early to do this before work. A miracle. It felt good to have a “win” so early in the day.

Tuesday 11/8
Steps: 4,097
Sleep: 6 h 6 m

Planned rest day. But there is no rest for democracy! I started off my day voting.

Wednesday 11/9
Steps: 4,858
Sleep: 10 h 21 m

Planned: 1 mile @ WU, 5 rep progression (15:00, 14:30, 14:00, 13:30, 13:00) with each rep at 0.5 mile, 1 mile @ CD (4.5 miles, 1:06:50)

Did not complete. I need to get my act together on Wednesdays. Shame away.



Also my MW costumes arrived but they are both a little tight in the chest/upper body. Extra shame

Thursday 11/10
Steps: 13,005
Sleep: 7 h 56 m

Planned rest day, but I did yesterday’s workout.

Completed: 4.5 miles, 1:06:18, 14:44 pace (T+D 107)

I wrote about this in The Running Thread, but I was nervous about this run because I had never done a progression run before and wasn’t sure how to manage intervals. So I ended up just somehow running the entire 2.5 miles of progression with no walk breaks. Crazy! It didn’t even feel that hard… maybe a little with the last .5 mile (13:00 pace). Hooray for non-scale victories.
Also, my neighbor loaned me her Noxgear because it was dark. I loved it and immediately ordered my own. And one for Rosie.




~*~ I can still make the whole place shimmer ~*~

Friday 11/11
Steps: 9,003
Sleep: 7 h 11 m

Planned: 3.5 miles easy/LR, 55:43, 75:30 intervals, 15:55 pace
Completed: 3.5 miles easy, 52:38, 90:30 intervals, 15:02 pace (treadmill)

I procrastinated this run all day but eventually got on the treadmill to do it. I didn’t do it in the morning bc of rain and then I took a nap after work bc I didn’t sleep well the night before and blah blah excuses excuses. At least I got it done (and am getting use out of my expensive treadmill lol). I put on a podcast and did the Peloton just run feature. I did 90:30 intervals instead of my normal 75:30 because it is just easier to math on the tread that way.

Nothing remarkable to report except I was very pleased at how my body felt after my run yesterday— I was nervous that doing the 2.5 miles without walk breaks would take a toll on my knees. I wasn’t any more sore than usual today. I wore my new shoes for the first time (Altra Via Olympus) and was pretty pleased. I put inserts in them so they aren’t technically zero drop, but I love Altra toe boxes. My feet love them too after years of being cramped in ice skates. My knees felt great— probably from both the cushion of the shoes and the tread itself. I think I’ll try the shoes on my Sunday long run to see how they fare.

Saturday 11/12
Steps: 16,882
Sleep: ??? (watch charging)

Planned: 5 miles easy/LR, 1:19:36, 75:30 intervals, 15:55 pace
Completed: 5 miles easy, 1:16:56, 75:20 intervals, 15:23 pace

Mile 1: 16:12
Mile 2: 15:23
Mile 3: 15:02
Mile 4: 15:09
Mile 5: 15:11

I was supposed to do this run with my neighbors at 8:30 am to beat an impending snowstorm (!) but they had an emergency and couldn’t make it. I was all ready to go, though, and my DH decided to join me with Rosie. He made it like 3 miles (usually he just does 1 mile with me), and they were very slow and easy. I finished the run by myself. It started lightly snowing toward the end, but I missed the worst of it.

Today was the first truly cold run of the season. I wore my Athleta Rainier leggings, Patagonia R1 crew fleece, windbreaker, and a buff on my ears. This worked well and kept me warm but not too hot.

After I decided to go to a Deep Stretch class at my yoga studio. It was focused on shoulders but still felt nice. I also took my dog Dozer on a 0.7 mile walk later in the day. I am trying to practice walking after my runs to help with recovery and prepare me for Disney.

I felt like I was rewarded for my efforts because I came home from yoga to my Club runDisney package! I never got a shipping notification like some people did so this was a happy surprise.

Sunday 11/6
Steps: 22,271
Sleep: 10 h 10 m

Planned: 6.5 miles @ easy (75:20, 15:55) + 2 miles at marathon tempo (60:30 @ 12:36/18:00)
Completed: 8.5 miles, 2:02:25, 14:24 pace (T+D 67)



It was a struggle to get myself out the door for this one. I woke up early and followed @DopeyBadger as he ran an entire marathon. He finished, and I thought well my coach has run a marathon today so I might as well go do my miles.

I was supposed to practice nutrition for this run. About an hour before I ate a slice of vegan coffee cake and a clif builder protein bar. About 15 minutes before I ate a banana, finished my Alani Nu energy drink, drank some water, and ate 2 salt chews. My plan during the run was to eat a Honey Stinger chew every mile, eat 2 salt chews every hour, and drink all my water. I stuck to this and felt good. No stomach pain like I have had in the past. It was cold though so I worry if this plan will suffice in the heat.

We left for the run. It was cold again so I wore the same outfit as yesterday (don’t worry— I did laundry last night). I wasn’t looking forward to doing 8.5 miles in my neighborhood but that was the best option since DH was joining me for a little bit. He started bonking at mile 2 lol. I gave him some clif Bloks I had brought for emergencies and some water but he couldn’t run anymore so he walked the rest of the way home. I kind of zig zagged around him and then he filled up my water bottle for me once he was home and left it on the porch for me to pick up.

He commented that I seemed in so much better shape than last year and asked how it happened. I said it is because I run 5 days a week now instead of 3, if even that (and it was rarely that). It is cool to see how I can just trot along very slowly and talk and stuff. The old me could never.

Finally I reached 6.5 miles, and it was time to change my intervals and do my two miles at marathon tempo. Pro tip: I used my Run Boss timer for this because my watch doesn’t do interval alerts for programmed workouts, and I had to change my intervals mid-workout anyway. I put body glide under where I attach it to my watch and that keeps it from chafing.

As you can see, I did these 2 miles way too fast. Whenever I looked at my watch while running it was showing in the 12-range which I thought was my current moving speed but apparently it was average speed including my walk breaks. These miles should have been 14 minutes. I felt really strong during them though. I was listening to a triathlon podcast earlier this week, and they talked about a guy at one of their training camps who finally was pushing himself outside of his comfort zone. They told him he had no idea what he was capable of after seeing what he could do then. I am kind of feeling that way about myself. If I did those last 2 miles that (relatively for me) fast (apparently I PR’d a 5K from my Garmin history during this run), then how fast could I really do a 5K if I raced it? Maybe next year I’ll find out. And imagine if I didn’t weigh 220 lbs!

Oh! I also wore my new Altra Via Olympus shoes for this run, and they are winners. I still had my inevitable foot pain, but I loved the cushion, didn’t get any blisters, and they felt light and fast even with the cushion. Yay!

After the run I immediately made a recovery drink with my Beam recovery aminos and a green protein smoothie. I went to get my COVID booster so I have also been sipping on water with Liquid IV. After the jab I ate dinner— vegan vegetable peanut stew. I feel pretty good. I also took Rosie on a 1 mile walk!


DH got me an Ariel and Flounder squishmallow after our COVID boosters for a job well done this week between my dissertation and running! It’s so cute.

Total

Run
Planned Mileage: 25 miles
Total Mileage: 25 miles
Planned Time: ? (There was a change in the plan for this week from a missed week and I don’t want to math.)
Total Time: 6:07:00

Other

Yoga: 50 min (1 deep stretch class)
Walk: 1.7 miles (2 dog walks)

(between the runs and walks I did a marathon this week! haha)

Overall, a good week. I finished my virtual dissertation writing retreat and got all my runs in. I also am working toward eating healthier— I made my green protein smoothie 3x this week! It has plant-based milk, flaxseed, chia seed, an energy powder, flavorless protein powder, spinach, bananas, and mixed frozen fruit. Yum.

This week is exciting because I am going to Anaheim on Wednesday! I will be there for 8 days. The trip is for my favorite professional conference (actually it’s two conferences together), but of course I’m going to sneak in as much Disney as I can. I have tickets for DL and DCA, and I am also signed up for two fitness classes they do at the parks before they open— a yoga class and a bootcamp. I haven’t been there since I was 8, so if anyone has any recommendations send them my way! Packing for this trip is overwhelming between needing professional clothes, running clothes, and Disney clothes! And I have to save room for all the books I am going to get. I’m a little nervous to be away from my dogs for so long though. Jack is still not doing very well.


Peace, friends!

 

[azrivest]

DH got me an Ariel and Flounder squishmallow after our COVID boosters for a job well done this week between my dissertation and running! It’s so cute.

So cute

Good job on getting those runs in!

Also my MW costumes arrived but they are both a little tight in the chest/upper body. Extra shame

And no shame at all. We all have different body types. You do such a great job of training, eating vegan, going on walks with your dogs and writing your PhD dissertation. Here's a fist bump to a great athlete

 

[lookingforsunshine]

Aw, thank you @azrivest

 

[lookingforsunshine]

Greetings from Anaheim!

Yesterday I woke up at 4 am, after less than 5 hours of sleep, flew to Anaheim, spontaneously decided to go to Disney California Adventure until they closed at 5 pm, having walked like 8 miles, and then that evening still did my 5.4 mile hard run on a treadmill. This is a season of letting go of excuses and being committed!

I am very proud of myself. Also I’m not as sore as I thought I would be today.

 

[lookingforsunshine]

Guess who I got to see sing and meet at my conference’s opening ceremony last night…




Casual.

 

[Naomeri]

I just bought Loud Mouse for my little cousin last week! That’s so cool!

 

[lookingforsunshine]

77 miles in 8 days! I feel like this week was great MW training. I’ll do a trip report and more detailed training recap soon. Happy Thanksgiving!


(Image description: me posing with the main mouse himself— Mickey!)

 

[lookingforsunshine]

Quick update that I am alive and still doing a good job training just very very tired. My trip took a lot of energy out of me.

I fell around mile 2.5 of my long run today (tripped over a water thing sticking out of the sidewalk) which sucked but I dusted myself off and finished the 9.5 miles. It ripped up my handheld bottle holder and my shoes though.

 

[WillRunForPizza]

As long as you're okay!

 

[Baloo in MI]

Sounds like a pretty hard fall, glad you are ok!

 

[lookingforsunshine]

Here's my training journal for 11/14-11/27! I waited awhile to write this up so I don't remember too many details. I am proud that while I was in California I got all of my runs done minus one, and I walked SO much. My hotel was about 1 mile from the convention center, and I usually walked there/back except for a few times I felt unsafe and called a Lyft. The convention center itself was pretty spread out as well. I also frequented Downtown Disney and had a half park day at DCA and a full park day at Disneyland. I had to wear "nice" shoes for the conference, so I wore my xero shoes Mary Jane flats that have a wide toe box. I wore footies with them that had toe separators and also put green superfeet in the shoes. Generally, I didn't have problems with foot pain or the shoes which was nice!

A challenge of the week as you'll see is that my sleep was TERRIBLE. Between the conference and being near Disney, I seem to have taken advantage of every waking hour possible. My sleep score was generally "poor" and I noticed this affected other stats too-- my HRV was in the red zone, and my training status was "strained." Just yesterday I finally got out of both of those categories-- back to the green zone and now "maintaining." Another challenge was food. I ate A LOT of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and protein bars. There were some provided meals at the conference but the vegan options were lacking. According to my scale, I lost 5 lbs during the 8 days I was there. The last thing to note is that all of my Anaheim runs were done on a treadmill. I know that is not ideal, but I was advised by several people not to run alone in the area so I heeded their advice.

I'll do a specific post about my DLR adventures next.

Weeks 11-12 MW Training (11/14-11/27)
MW Training Runs Completed: 53/59 (90%)
192 total training miles

September: 41.8 miles (10 h 25 m)
October: 71.3 miles (17 h 33 m)
November: 78.9 miles (19 h 8 m)

Monday 11/14
Steps: 8,173
Sleep: 6 h 49 m (poor)

Planned: 2 miles easy
Completed: 2 miles easy, 31:49

I do not remember why this was so slow.

Tuesday 11/15
Steps: 4,610
Sleep: 7 h 59 m (poor)

Planned rest day.

Wednesday 11/16
Steps: 27,124 (13.6 miles)
Sleep: 4 h 47 m (poor)

Planned: 1 mile @ WU, 3x1 mile @ T (12:36) w/ 3 min RI, 1 mile @ CD (5.4 miles)
Completed: Above workout on treadmill. 5.4 miles, 1:15:01.

I did the 1 miles @ T with no walk breaks. I am proud I got this done— Wednesday consisted of flying to California, spontaneously going to DCA until 5 pm (they closed then on that day for a CM event), waiting for my Instacart delivery at the hotel, and then doing this run in the hotel gym before bed. I realized after the run that the air wasn’t on in the hotel gym— it was over 80 degrees in there. Heat training, I suppose.

Thursday 11/17
Steps: 22,010 (10.6 miles)
Sleep: 5 h 44 m (poor)

Planned rest day. I did a yoga class at DCA before they opened. I was the only one in the class. It was in the Redwood Creek area which is currently closed. The class cost $30 which is expensive but also not depending on where you are from. Considering it was basically a private lesson, that was cool! I think I'll do a write up of the classes I took after this in case anyone is interested in the process.

Idina Menzel performed at our opening ceremony, and I met her after. She sang a song from Rent and we sang with her. Wild!

Friday 11/18
Steps: 17,880 (8.9 miles)
Sleep: 7 h 12 m (poor)

Planned: 3 miles easy
Completed: 3 miles easy, 43:45 (treadmill)

I did this run after a full day at the conference. As I mentioned above, all of my runs while I was in California were done on the treadmill— it didn’t feel safe to me to run alone because I saw a few people approach single women and yell at them.

I presented at the conference on this day. I think it went okay.

Saturday 11/19
Steps: 12,055 (5.8 miles)
Sleep: 7 h 45 m (poor)

Planned: 4 miles marathon pace

Did not complete. This was the only run I missed during my trip. My sleep was terrible the entire week (a poor sleep score literally every night), and I had a really bad headache on the cusp of a migraine after I got back to the hotel. My friend who had been staying with me left for her flight home, and I just needed some rest. I think I more than made up these miles with all the walking I did throughout the week so I’m trying not to feel too bad about it.

Sunday 11/20
Steps: 16,912 (8.3 miles)
Sleep: 10 h 8 m (fair)

Planned: 2 miles easy
Completed: 2 miles during a Bootcamp

I did a Bootcamp class at DCA before they opened. Once again I was the only participant. We ran exactly 2 miles during the class and also stopped in various spots and did squats and other various exercises. It was sooo cool to run through the park with no one there. Like runDisney but without the crowds. The class was difficult but I loved it. Highly recommend.

Monday 11/21
Steps: 19,225 (9.6 miles)
Sleep: ??? (watch charging)

Planned: 4 miles easy
Completed: 4 miles marathon pace, 55:41 (treadmill)

I did these 4 miles at marathon pace instead of easy because I felt bad for skipping it on Sunday.

Tuesday 11/22
Steps: 11,987 (5.7 miles)
Sleep: 6 h 55 m (poor)

Planned rest day.

Wednesday 11/23
Steps: 29,916 (14.7 miles)
Sleep: 6 h 42 m (poor)

Planned: progression run
Completed: 4 miles easy, 59:06

I was supposed to do a 5.6 mile progression run but a. I was tired bc conference and my friend visiting and b. I had plans to spend my day at Disneyland and wanted to get there as early as possible. We woke up a little later than planned so I just decided to do easy miles for an hour. I walked over 10 miles at DLR after (and was at the park from about 9:30 am to midnight).

Thursday 11/24
Steps: 6,258
Sleep: 7 h 26 m (fair)

Planned rest day. Flew home.

Friday 11/25
Steps: 10,700
Sleep: 10 h 18 m (lol) (fair)

Planned: 4 miles easy
Completed: 4 miles easy, 1:00:45

It felt great to run outside again after having been on the treadmill for so long.

Saturday 11/26
Steps: 13,615
Sleep: 9 h 24 m (fair)

Planned: 5 miles easy
Completed: 5 miles easy, 1:11:55

We visited my family all day. I had wanted to do this before we left but slept in too long after being up with my dog all night. I did this outside at like 10 pm when I got home. It was kind of scary running in the dark but my new Noxgear at least helped me feel visible.

Sunday 11/27
Steps: 22,137
Sleep: 8 h 12 m (good)

Planned: 7.5 miles @ easy + 2 miles marathon tempo (9.5 miles)
Completed: 7.5 miles @ easy + 2 miles marathon tempo; 9.5 miles; 2:20:32

I am too tired to write up a lot about this run. It was kind of hard though. Partially because it was very windy but mostly because I tripped on a thing sticking out of the sidewalk and completely fell at mile 2.5. It sucked but I dusted myself off, went home to refill my handheld bottle which exploded (and the fabric part is now torn up so I should probably replace it), and wash off my hands which got cut a little. Then I went back out there and finished the run. Perseverance.


(image description: A page in my magazine that I thought y'all would like. it says "Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most." Apparently Abraham Lincoln said this, but I'm skeptical. Quotes are often mis-attributed.)

Speaking of this quote, another recent win is that there is currently Ginger Ale and Coca-Cola in my fridge because my family wanted it, and I have successfully resisted both despite my very deep wish to drink them at times. I am still soda-free since March!


(image description: Another quote from my magazine. This one says "I wish I was full of tacos instead of emotions." I thought y'all might relate.)

 

[WillRunForPizza]

Those classes sound really cool! And a great deal if you're the only one there.

 

[lookingforsunshine]

DCA/Tenaya Stone Spa Fitness Class Reviews

As you saw in my training journal, I did two fitness classes during my trip to Anaheim. I learned about them from a girl on Instagram. You book the classes through the Tenaya Stone Spa-- they are under "View Activities" on their website. They are available to book about 3 weeks out, I think.

You don't pay until after the class. For both classes, I received a call from the spa two days before the class to confirm my participation. They ask that you cancel with at least 24 hours notice and that you show up 15 minutes before the scheduled class time.

Yoga in the Redwood Creek: 7:45 AM

I did this class on a Thursday morning. The meet up for the classes is outside the Tenaya Stone Spa at the Grand Californian hotel, which you can access from Downtown Disney. My hotel was next to the Toy Story parking lot, so I left my hotel around 6:15 AM to try to get on the first bus to the area. I thought the first bus would be at 6:30 AM, but it actually wasn't until 7:00 AM so I had to wait around a little bit. Once I got to Downtown Disney, I tried to find the Grand Californian entrance, which is next to the Dress Shop. It was pretty chaotic in there, with a long line for the different restaurants. The teacher called me because I wasn't quite there at 15 minutes before (because I was walking around), and she came and found me. My teacher for this class was a woman from Japan who came from Aulani and started the fitness program-- I think it's maybe a little less than a year old. She was really kind and personable. They had a little cart outside of the spa shop which had various snack bars, water bottles, and a waiver for me to sign. I also put my purse on the bottom shelf of the cart and they locked it up during the class. I had to wear a yellow wristband because we were entering DCA. They also gave me a yoga mat (a cheap one, I will say... I kind of wished I had brought my own which I did have in my hotel room) and a towel. We went through the GC entrance to the park and skipped the security line. She then walked us to the Redwood Creek area, which is currently closed to park goers. The park didn't open until 8 AM so we were there before anyone else was. The class was in a little treehouse type situation.

The class itself was a vinyasa flow. I don't know if she made any modifications to it when I told her I was a yoga teacher, but it was relatively difficult at times (e.g., we did crow pose). Since it was just me, she used my name a lot in the class. She played music at the beginning for some grounding and then it was just the sounds of the park. There were a few times people were talking on the speakers in the park area as they prepared to open it, and then there was music when the park opened. She apologized for that because it disrupted the zen, but I didn't really mind. Overall, it was a great class that also included some nice stretches that were unique to me and felt good after my big day of DCA/running prior. At the end, since the park was open, she took some pictures of me-- and they were GOOD pictures. She then walked me back to the spa where a man was waiting outside with our cart. I was given some snack bars and water to take with me, and then I paid for the class inside the spa shop. Overall, between the privacy + being in the park + photos, this class was worth $30 to me.

Afterward, I leisured around the Grand Californian lobby for a little bit (I am OBSESSED with this lobby and spent so much time there during my trip) and got a smoothie in DD before taking the bus back to my hotel and getting ready for a day at the conference.


(Image description: Me doing tree pose in the Redwood Creek treehouse (?). I am wearing a Jasmine-inspired tank top and skort.)


(Image description: Me sitting in easy pose, with my hands in prayer at my heart. My eyes are closed, and the sun is beaming through the trees.)

Aren't these pictures good!? I love them, haha.

Adventure Boot Camp 6:30 AM

The next class I did was an Adventure Boot Camp on Sunday. This class was a bit earlier at 6:30 AM, but that's because the entire class involved running through DCA before it opened! This time I took a Lyft to the Grand Californian because the buses wouldn't be running yet. I booked the Lyft for 5:45 AM the night before and for some reason it was like $27 (the hotel was just over a mile from my own). I have no idea why it was so expensive but that was not awesome. The driver arrived on time though. I was early, so I sat in the lounge chairs outside the spa. When it got to be 6:15 AM, I still didn't see anyone and was kind of getting worried. A few minutes later, I got a call-- it turned out that they had set up the table in front of the security instead on this day so I didn't see it. Once again, they had snacks/water/etc. and I had to sign a waiver. And once again, I was the only person who signed up for this class!

This time the instructor for the class was a man who was from the area. He was also really nice. We went through security and then started the class with some dynamic warm up. He told us we would run about 2 miles total and stop in various areas to do bootcamp exercises. When you sign up for this class, it says you need to be able to maintain a 12 minute mile, but the most you ever run at a time is maybe .3 or .4 miles. Since it was just me and him, we chatted a bit as we ran. I told him about runDisney and my training. It was SO COOL getting to run through the park before it opened. It was just like runDisney, except without the crowds and without the medals. I am definitely out of shape for bootcamp-type exercises, though. We did a lot of squat type exercises lol. The exercises were kind of themed to the area we were in-- e.g., in Avengers Campus we did jump squats where we pushed off like we were Iron Man. He also pointed out some Hidden Mickeys. I usually run my intervals but since we stopped a lot I was fine. He had us sprint down the straightaways-- I was able to do this once but then later I was like let's just go at our normal pace. We also did "hill repeats" at the little hill in Pixar Pier. Unfortunately, because the park was not yet open I was unable to film or take pictures. At the end, we had done exactly 2 miles and he led us through some cool down stretches. We returned to the hotel where I got more snack bars and water to take with me, and I paid for the class. It was challenging but awesome! I liked being the only one-- I think if I had been with a bunch of fast/fitter people I might have been self-conscious.

Overall, I recommend all of these classes! It was surprising to me that I was the only one at them. I feel like they could get more people easily, but I also don't see the classes being talked about a lot on social media or by influencers or whatever. Maybe people don't want to exercise before park days? I don't know, but I'm glad I gave them a shot! Let me know if y'all have any questions.

 

[The Expert]

Thanks for the recap of the classes! I had seen them advertised in the app on our last visit, but we didn't have time to book them. Several years back, we did an early morning Segway tour of DCA that was similarly easy to get into. I suspect since most of the crowd there is local, those things are mostly targeted at hotel guests on vacation who do not want to get up that early.

 

[striker1064]

Maybe people don't want to exercise before park days?

I definitely had an issue with this during my training plan in October. I'm a morning runner, so doing that then spending all day at the parks was definitely burning the candle at both ends and it caught up to me. But something like your classes looks like the perfect way to start the day.

 

[xjillianpaige]

View attachment 720910
(Image description: me posing with the main mouse himself— Mickey!)

your park fashion is IMPECCABLE.

 

[lookingforsunshine]

your park fashion is IMPECCABLE.

omg thank you. That shirt was $7 at Wal-Mart lol. Not pictured is my DCA outfit: straight off the plane leggings, t-shirt, and my CrD jacket… none of which matched. True couture.